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Why agile transformations fail, and why that is not management’s fault.

2/8/2020

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By Dennis van der Spoel
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​Most agile transformations start out bottom up. Agile coaches and trainers start to explain about VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), and how traditional ways of project management are at odds with the demands of a VUCA environment.

​Of course, some buy-in from management is needed. So, managers get appointed an enabler role, but spend most of their time along the sidelines. And when agile transformations do not go according to expectations of the teams, it’s always the fault of management. And usually middle management gets stuck in a squeeze.

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Is Agile Still Agile When You Scale it?

29/12/2018

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By: Dennis van der Spoel
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Any company working with more than, say, 80 people on the development of a single product or solution will not manage with just Scrum as a guideline for an agile way of working. Fortunately, several frameworks have been developed to make agile ideas workable in larger companies. Sometimes small concessions have been made to the autonomy of individuals and teams for the sake of coordination. This has led to discussions about what is still agile and which framework should no longer be allowed to wear that predicate. The framework that is most popular and also the most under fire is the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe). Is that rightly so?
 
If we look at frameworks such as Nexus, LeSS and especially SAFe, the criticism mainly focuses on the alleged lack of space for people to find their own way of working and the alleged lack of simplicity. Those frameworks have caused this themselves. For example, the SAFe Reference Guide consists of 800 pages, where Scrum fits on just 17 pages.

At first glance, therefore, SAFe seems 40 times more complex than Scrum. But that is not the whole story. It is precisely the lack of 'guidance' that inhibits the adoption of Scrum (and therefore agile) within larger organizations. Scrum does not offer a solution for every context. The idea is that Scrum teams themselves discover an optimal way of working. That works well with a single team. With two or three teams that is often fine too. However, once you really start scaling, cooperation between teams no longer comes naturally. Consultants and coaches, as yours truly, build their entire business model on this issue. But that is not sustainable.
 
Forgive me for the detour that I am about to make in my reasoning. At the end of this article I will come back to the criticism of the most important agile frameworks in general and SAFe in particular.

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Is Agile nog Agile als je het opschaalt?

30/11/2018

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By: Dennis van der Spoel
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​Wie meer met dan 80 mensen aan een product werkt, komt niet weg met alleen Scrum als leidraad voor agile werken. Gelukkig zijn er diverse raamwerken bedacht om het agile gedachtengoed ook werkbaar te maken in grotere bedrijven. Soms worden er kleine concessies gedaan aan de autonomie van individuen omwille van de coördinatie. Dat heeft ertoe geleid dat er discussies zijn over wat nog agile is en welk raamwerk dat predicaat niet meer zou mogen dragen. Het raamwerk dat het populairst is en tevens het meest onder vuur ligt is het Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe). Is dat terecht?
 
Als we kijken naar raamwerken als Nexus, LeSS en vooral SAFe, dan richt de kritiek zich vooral op het vermeende gebrek aan ruimte voor mensen om hun eigen werkwijze te vinden en op het vermeende gebrek aan simpliciteit. Dat hebben die raamwerken zelf veroorzaakt. Zo bestaat de SAFe Reference Guide uit 800 pagina’s, waar Scrum past op welgeteld 17 kantjes.
 
Op het eerste gezicht is SAFe dus 40 keer complexer dan Scrum. Maar dat is niet het hele verhaal. Juist het gebrek aan ‘guidance’ remt de adoptie van Scrum (en dus agile) door grotere organisaties. Scrum biedt niet overal een oplossing voor. Het idee is dat Scrum teams zelf een optimale manier van werken ontdekken. Met een enkel team gaat dat goed. Met twee of drie teams gaat dat ook vaak prima. Zodra je echt gaat schalen, werkt die samenwerking tussen teams echter niet meer. Daar verdienen adviseurs en coaches als ondergetekende dan weer goed aan, maar dat kan niet de bedoeling zijn.
 
Vergeef mij de omweg die ik nu ga maken in mijn betoog. Aan het eind van dit artikel kom ik terug op de kritiek op de belangrijkste agile raamwerken in het algemeen en SAFe in het bijzonder.

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Agile: A Long History

15/10/2018

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By: Dennis van der Spoel
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Have you ever heard a song on the radio that was a cover of an old pop-song? And have you ever pointed out to a bunch of teenagers that this was already a hit when you were young? Remember the response you got? As if you were stealing their mojo.

As a middle-aged agile consultant, trainer, and coach, I regularly get similar responses when I’m conducting my daily business. I often get the feeling that the people I work with, both young and old, believe that an agile mindset is the prerogative of the younger generations, and that it is a recent ‘invention’. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

While agile is popular, even a hype, these days, there is nothing ‘recent’ about it. Get ready for a long journey.

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  • About
    • English >
      • Introduction
      • What we stand for
      • Where we thrive
      • What we offer
      • Where we come from
    • Nederlands >
      • Introductie
      • Waar wij voor staan
      • Waar we gedijen
      • Onze propositie
      • Onze wortels
  • Training & Events
    • Agile @ Scale
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    • Training
  • Blog
  • Info
    • Contact
    • Careers